Karen, do you just dislike Sly Stone or something? That's what it kinda sounds like to me. Just a little bit. Seems like you're upset at the critical attention his music is given and trying to relate that to his drug problems. Him being a drug addict and him being a music genius are two totally different things. Like others said, other legendary acts were doing the same thing Sly is doing but since they're gone from us, they're revered. And if fate would have it if anything happened to Sly, the same thing will be given to him and it'll make sense. His music was unique. Maybe you just don't like him or the Family Stone and prefer someone else. But I don't know what was the purpose of you making this if you were gonna use this to judge what he does in his personal life.

I'm seeing you're also biased towards his contemporary, Hendrix, also. Let's not forget the guy was also doing the do - as far as prescription drugs and alcohol were concerned - but he pretty much control his ship just like Sly control his. Like everyone said, Sly was the leader because he wrote, composed, produced and arranged everything and he was their band leader. If he was just a "member", yeah firing him would've been easy but no because he was the leader and the name was SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE, that's just a little bizarre to kick out the person who founded the group and basically led the ship. The band wouldn't have been tight in the beginning had it not been for Sly's leadership.

Like I said, you must not like him and kudos but if you're trying to convince people that Sly ain't worth shit, you might as well be talking to a brick in the wall. I'm just saying it as nicely as I can... hell you think without someone like Sly, you think we have Prince right now?

Think about it.

Karen71 said:

You know what, don't even bother answering...You're just....ugh!

So you're a fanatical angry clown who can't understand lyrics, doesn't "get" music you deem old, and can't even articulate herself as to why she's so frustrated about it.

It's one thing to dislike some records based on personal taste, but what you're going on about is some whole other sociopathic internet mumbo jumbo entirely.

I read this several days ago and wanted to give this some serious thought before I responded.

I have been an admirer of Sly Stone since I was a small child and I can honestly say that I have about 95% of the things the man has ever recorded. I have been one of those admirers who always wanted nothing but the best from Sly and was hoping that he was somewhere getting himself together all the years that he spent in seclusion. That's how bad I wanted Sly to just come on with it, if you know what I mean.

The event that took place at the 2006 Grammy Awards was one of those moments that looking back, I took to heart. I was so pumped and amped for Sly's comeback that I was excited all day long. All I kept talking about was this was the night that my man was coming back to show us all that he still had "it." When the moment arrived and Steven Tyler introduced him to the stage, imagine the shock and disappointment when he appeared after 19 years. I didn't know whether to cry or kick in my TV screen because I was appalled at the image of the man that was before me. I think I eventually did shed some tears because I thought to myself "What in the hell is this? I waited 19 years for this?" I was so distraught and so upset that I took to MySpace where I wrote this intense blog about Sly and how I felt that he betrayed me with his appearance. I think I must have written about 10,000 words worth of disappointment and then the funniest thing happened after I hit send. That's when my mother's words of wisdom kicked in: "Always be aware of what you say because you never know who's listening or reading your words."

The next day I got a personal e-mail from Dawn Silva, the lead singer of the Brides of Funkenstein and one of Sly's former background vocalists. In the letter, she expressed her concerns for my feelings and gave me some details of what was really going on with Sly and why he looked the way he did. A few days later, Dawn and I actually talked by phone and I remember her saying to me "I could tell you were just so hurt and I had to reach out to you!" We talked and she basically broke down what was going on and told me to kind of ease up on my feelings for Sly and after everything was said and done, I had to give Sly the benefit of the doubt.

I say all this to say that yes, Sly Stone is a musical genius in the true aspect of the word. The man has given the world some of the greatest music that we have ever heard. He was a poet's poet and the lyrics were and are astonishing. Listen to the albums Stand, There's a Riot Goin' On, and Fresh and they will take you to another place and time. "Sex Machine?" That's a lesson in funk right there. You have to give credit where credit is due because he was one of the best and as D'Angelo once said "One of the musical masters."

Sylvester Stewart on the other hand, or the man behind the persona of Sly Stone is a broken man. It's so easy to throw stones (no pun intended) at him and knock him for his behavior but after watching this documentary that HBO did back in the 90s that featured Sly and Jimi Hendrix, you get the sense that Sly was one of those artists that wanted to save the world through his music and he wanted everyone to heed the message of his words. When that didn't happen, well, that's when the negative vibes set in. That's when the behavior really got out of control and he lost the sense of who he was as an artist and in some sense, as a human being. Unfortunately, the same thing can be applied to James Brown, another music master. As an artist, you want to move the universe off it's axis in the name of good music and you want to make your message as loud as you can possibly make it but when it falls of deaf ears, then what?

I have a much deeper understanding and appreciation of Sly after I talked to Dawn and I appreciated her for stepping up to the plate and setting me straight. I will always admire Sly Stone and I will always be benevolent of his genius because the man was one hell of a musician. I am of the opinion that you can not have an affinity for Prince and Parliament-Funkadelic until you get in tune with Sly Stone. Not to mention, the effect that he had on people like Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock to make those men take notice and release classics like Bitches Brew and Head Hunters, respectively. Sly Stone is, was, and always will be a musical genius and no amount of negative press or judgement will take that away from him.

thesoulbrother said:

I read this several days ago and wanted to give this some serious thought before I responded.

I have been an admirer of Sly Stone since I was a small child and I can honestly say that I have about 95% of the things the man has ever recorded. I have been one of those admirers who always wanted nothing but the best from Sly and was hoping that he was somewhere getting himself together all the years that he spent in seclusion. That's how bad I wanted Sly to just come on with it, if you know what I mean.

The event that took place at the 2006 Grammy Awards was one of those moments that looking back, I took to heart. I was so pumped and amped for Sly's comeback that I was excited all day long. All I kept talking about was this was the night that my man was coming back to show us all that he still had "it." When the moment arrived and Steven Tyler introduced him to the stage, imagine the shock and disappointment when he appeared after 19 years. I didn't know whether to cry or kick in my TV screen because I was appalled at the image of the man that was before me. I think I eventually did shed some tears because I thought to myself "What in the hell is this? I waited 19 years for this?" I was so distraught and so upset that I took to MySpace where I wrote this intense blog about Sly and how I felt that he betrayed me with his appearance. I think I must have written about 10,000 words worth of disappointment and then the funniest thing happened after I hit send. That's when my mother's words of wisdom kicked in: "Always be aware of what you say because you never know who's listening or reading your words."

The next day I got a personal e-mail from Dawn Silva, the lead singer of the Brides of Funkenstein and one of Sly's former background vocalists. In the letter, she expressed her concerns for my feelings and gave me some details of what was really going on with Sly and why he looked the way he did. A few days later, Dawn and I actually talked by phone and I remember her saying to me "I could tell you were just so hurt and I had to reach out to you!" We talked and she basically broke down what was going on and told me to kind of ease up on my feelings for Sly and after everything was said and done, I had to give Sly the benefit of the doubt.

I say all this to say that yes, Sly Stone is a musical genius in the true aspect of the word. The man has given the world some of the greatest music that we have ever heard. He was a poet's poet and the lyrics were and are astonishing. Listen to the albums Stand, There's a Riot Goin' On, and Fresh and they will take you to another place and time. "Sex Machine?" That's a lesson in funk right there. You have to give credit where credit is due because he was one of the best and as D'Angelo once said "One of the musical masters."

Sylvester Stewart on the other hand, or the man behind the persona of Sly Stone is a broken man. It's so easy to throw stones (no pun intended) at him and knock him for his behavior but after watching this documentary that HBO did back in the 90s that featured Sly and Jimi Hendrix, you get the sense that Sly was one of those artists that wanted to save the world through his music and he wanted everyone to heed the message of his words. When that didn't happen, well, that's when the negative vibes set in. That's when the behavior really got out of control and he lost the sense of who he was as an artist and in some sense, as a human being. Unfortunately, the same thing can be applied to James Brown, another music master. As an artist, you want to move the universe off it's axis in the name of good music and you want to make your message as loud as you can possibly make it but when it falls of deaf ears, then what?

I have a much deeper understanding and appreciation of Sly after I talked to Dawn and I appreciated her for stepping up to the plate and setting me straight. I will always admire Sly Stone and I will always be benevolent of his genius because the man was one hell of a musician. I am of the opinion that you can not have an affinity for Prince and Parliament-Funkadelic until you get in tune with Sly Stone. Not to mention, the effect that he had on people like Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock to make those men take notice and release classics like Bitches Brew and Head Hunters, respectively. Sly Stone is, was, and always will be a musical genius and no amount of negative press or judgement will take that away from him.

I agree with just about everything you said. I admit shaking my head when he did appear on the stage but it was the first time in 19 years since anyone had seen him and for me the first time I saw him on TV in about 13 years (remember he showed up at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to the shock of everyone including the Family Stone members) so it was a blur but I definitely big you up for that. Sylvester Stewart definitely has some demons that are probably deeper than any of us think it is.

Timmy84 said:

Karen, do you just dislike Sly Stone or something? That's what it kinda sounds like to me. Just a little bit. Seems like you're upset at the critical attention his music is given and trying to relate that to his drug problems. Him being a drug addict and him being a music genius are two totally different things. Like others said, other legendary acts were doing the same thing Sly is doing but since they're gone from us, they're revered. And if fate would have it if anything happened to Sly, the same thing will be given to him and it'll make sense. His music was unique. Maybe you just don't like him or the Family Stone and prefer someone else. But I don't know what was the purpose of you making this if you were gonna use this to judge what he does in his personal life.

Karen7, it seems your over analyzing the present Sly Stone and not looking at the many reasons he is noted as a genius.

Maybe your understanding of the word "genius" is in a slightly lack mode.

Genius is something or someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight.

At the beginning of the Sly and the Family Stone band, it was considered a microcosm of this ideal world: men and women, blacks, whites working together, shifting roles and sharing the spotlight. He urged others to do the same in songs such as "Everyday People," and "Everybody is a Star," and etc.. Realize Sly Stone garnered his creativity from the social changes that were going on arond him in the year 1966. S&TFS's sound was unique, it was a previously unknown fusion of Soul, Funk, Rock, R&B and Psychedelia.

excerpts from:

http://www.slystonebook.c...;Itemid=93

Sly himself was a master musician who wrote, arranged and produced all the group’s material, fashioning ingenious musical arrangements filled with syncopated rhythm, pop melody and unexpected harmonies.

The true beauty of Sly’s music was not just an irresistible groove, but a profound lyrical message. Before Sly, very few R&B artists had dealt with anything more than a simple view of the social and political aspects of life. The Family Stone would have a lasting impact on the generation that came of age in the late 60’s.

Sly Stone's music made people think and move for social change. Many of his musical contemporaries also allowed people to listen to and dance to the music of the times.

So much of today's popular music is in a "safe mode." It does not allow it's listeners to look above the water and see what's really going on in our society. The true creative artist of our time are not backed by major labels and can only be found in the "underground."

Karen7, you being a modern woman of today might want to learn more about how the world was for women before the time of Sly and the Family Stone's creative genius and their contribution to the world of music.

I remember as a child my Mother would to say "do your homework before you issue a statement or ask a dumb question and make sure you know what your talking about."

please read: http://itunes.apple.com/u...?showBio=1 maybe you'll gain some insight.

[Edited 6/19/11 19:14pm]